Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2006-113892 (Patent Document 1) describes an electric vehicle automatic operation management system that enables an electric vehicle with depleted battery power to reliably reach a place where the battery can be charged. This system comprises an electric vehicle, an electric vehicle management device, (hereinafter referred to as a management device), and a wind power charging station (hereinafter referred to as a charging station), and operates as follows.
The management device analyzes data sent from the electric vehicle and, if the battery capacity is low, sends a forced automatic driving instruction command to the electric vehicle. In addition, the management device analyzes the data on the registered charging stations and sends the charging reservation signal to a charging station. If the reservation is acceptable, the charging station accepts the reservation and reserves the amount of electricity necessary for charging. The management device provides the electric vehicle with information on the reserved charging station. The car navigation system in the electric vehicle uses the acquired station information to guide the electric vehicle to the reserved charging station.